LANGUAGE is arguably one of the best albums ever made that blends perfect pop with jazz sensibilites. Moody, but also provocative. Stunning vocal performance by Tracy Thorn and the jazz stylings of Ben Watt. There are even a few duets that showcase their sympatico.

This album stands at the crossroads of their career and would be next to the last before they shifted their musical focus to electronica. Here are my favorite tracks.... hope they will be yours.

"Driving" starts with the gentle "ha ha ha" (inspired by Laurie Anderson's "O Superman"...?) and thus begins the album with keyboard and sax meeting together beautifully. Tracy's emotional words and velvet voice melt in the ear.

"Get Back" picks up the beat with Ben getting more vocals this time...almost a duet. A perfect example of their chemistry coming thru the music.

"Meet me in the morning" has Tracy beconing an invitation for an illicit rendevouz. "I haven't come to break your home...

I haven't come to harm your children, I've come to be your love". Beautiful.

"Me and Bobby D" is a sorta lively catalog of ex-lovers. The happy beat and catchy hook masks the portrait of abusive and neglected relationships.

"Language of Life" features a piano, Tracy's smooth notes, and Ben following her lead...gorgeous! A perfect centerpiece for this album.

"Take me" a great standard. Originally a hit for the Isley Brothers. Here sung heartfully by Tracy Thorn.

"Imagining America" another "duetish" song about lovers parted by an ocean during wartime. Great string and sax arrangment! This song has a driven quality, almost urgent as Ben speaks the words Tracy will then sing. Original vocal delivery.

"The Road" is sung solo by Ben Watt. A trait that happens on most of their albums. Ben ussually delivers a heartfelt and very introspective performance... this is no exception. A perfect song to end the journey.

If your CD collection contains artists like Basia, Swing Out Sister, Julia Fordham, or even Norah Jones... then Ben and Tracy will fit nicely along side them. Enjoy!

If England's Everything But the Girl stopped making records after Language of Life in 1990, they could have rested quite satisfied, though we would have lost two incredibly talented musicians. Because this record is their masterpiece and one of the classiest albums you are likely to ever hear. The album scintillates from beginning to end with exquisite writing, musicianship, arrangements, and production. At the heart of it all is the awesome beauty of Tracy Thorn's voice, which is rivalled only by Sade's for being the best in the business. The comparison is apt in another way. Both Sade and EBTG have a similar integrity and appeal to similar audiences. Hardly anything being recorded today comes close to the emotional truth evoked here on the subject of mature relationships. Nor is it being done so beautifully. If you've never heard Everything But the Girl, or if you haven't yet heard this record, buy it. You will enjoy every track and consider yourself lucky fo! r having made the discovery. Best of all, you will play it again and again, in the car or at home.

P.S. Attention movie producers: need good songs for your soundtracks? Start here.

"The Language of Life" is a major candidate alongside "Worldwide" as my favorite pre-Missing ETBG album of all time but it's follow-up Worldwide may be it's main competitor for that title. Whatever the case is, the sixth release by this Thorn/Watt duo is a very inspiring release that finds the two delving into much more jazz-themed styles and includes guest appearances by several jazz legends such as Joe Sample, Michael Brecker and even Stan Getz who sadly passed away too long afterwards. My favorites are "Driving" with it's now famous "ha ha ha" voice effect that opens the track and echoes throughout it's length, "Get Back To You" with it's slightly faster rhythm and excellent rhythm. Tracey Thorn's vocals are incredible on this track. "Meet Me In The Morning" with it's beautiful soulful melody and with Tracey's autumn-like vocals, and "Me and Bobby D" with it's beautiful sound and sax playing. The album kind of drifts off afterwards with the remaining songs not standing out like the first four but that doesn't warrant this falling into the category of second half slump like many albums by many artists do. "Imagining America" is another standout track from the second half of this album. While "Missing" is a great song both in it's original and Todd Terry remix, that great song should not be allowed to overshadow the great body of works that ETBG have done from before or since all the way up to "Temperamental", their last album to date. But "The Language of Life" should be high up on the list of albums to buy and buy it new!

This is hands-down the best oldies music album in my CD collection-it paints a great portrait of what 90s R&B music was really like in my mind. I personally like "My Baby Don't Love Me", it's just something about the line "My baby just walked out...to the door...and kept right on walkin'..." :-) ;-)

Where Don't let the teardrops rust your shining heart was an introduction to their music, the language of life is where their truths are revealed.

Poignant, Sad, Real, and Beautifully crafted: this album is a classic in itself. Tracks like, meet me in the morning, drving, and language of life shows how uch this duo had been so underrated.

It remains to this day one of my favorite albums. It stood the test of time years and years later.